The timeline of Ancient Egypt begins some 8,000 years ago
around 6,000 BCE when early farmers discovered how fertile the soil
around the Nile River was. These successful farming efforts eventually led
to an amazing civilization that flourished for thousands of years. The Nile
River is one of the major rivers of the world and is considered to be the
longest river on earth. The Nile River flows through desert areas and since
the river floods regularly, the silt it deposits makes fertile land along the river. Without
the Nile River, the Ancient Egyptian civilization would not have been possible.
The Nile River is located in the northeaste coer of the continent of Africa
and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Near the Mediterranean Sea the Nile River
splits into two branches and the Nile Delta is located between them. Besides the two
major branches, the Nile Delta contains smaller outflows that flow into the
Mediterranean Sea. The land between these rivers and streams is very fertile and
helped the Ancient Egyptians to raise crops like wheat and flax. With a surplus of
crops the Egyptians could trade with other areas and support cities, an army and
powerful kings.
The Nile Delta was home to many Egyptian cities including Rosetta, Buto, Sais,
and Heliopolis. When Alexander the Great of Macedonia in Ancient Greece
conquered Egypt in 33 BCE he created Alexandria at the weste edge of the Nile
Delta to be the new capital of Egypt. The city was known as a trading port on the
Mediterranean Sea and its library contained copies of the most important books ever
written. Archaeologists are discovering important artifacts from ancient Alexandria in
the waters of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of present-day Alexandria. They
believe that parts of Alexandria might have sunk into the sea due to earthquake
activity in ancient times.
The Great Pyramid at Giza is located slightly southwest of the Nile Delta. The
Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Kaak and the city of Thebes (called Luxor today)
are located in what was called Upper Egypt further south of the Mediterranean Sea
along the Nile River. The Red Sea formed the easte boundary of Ancient Egypt and
the desert was the weste boundary.